Food holding apparatus

ABSTRACT

A food holding apparatus and associated components and methods. The food holding apparatus includes multiple food receivers configured to be independently controlled to heat or cool food received therein. The food holding apparatus includes a refrigeration system. Components of the refrigeration system are mounted on a sled movable between stowed and access positions to facilitate access to the components. The food holding apparatus can include touch screen controls, serpentine-shaped bar heating elements, and/or other features.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to U.S. Nonprovisionalapplication Ser. No. 17/448,899, filed on Sep. 27, 2021 which claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/083,534, filed on Sep.25, 2020, the entireties of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to food holding apparatus andmore particularly to apparatus for holding food at hot and/or coldtemperatures.

BACKGROUND

Food holding apparatus, such as countertop food holding apparatus, arecommonly used in restaurants and kitchens, such as part of a buffet orserving line, to hold prepared food at a set temperature before the foodis served to a consumer.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a food holding apparatus comprises a housing including anupper portion having at least three food receivers arranged in a row.Each food receiver defines a cavity with an open top. The cavity issized and shaped to receive a tray of food when the tray of food isinserted into the cavity from the open top. Each food receiver has acooling conduit configured to receive refrigerant to cool the tray offood when the tray of food is disposed in the cavity. Each food receiverhas a heating element configured to heat the tray of food when the trayof food is disposed in the cavity. The housing defines an interior. Asled is supported by the housing. The sled is slideable relative to thehousing between a stored position and an access position. The sled isconfigured to be disposed in the interior when the sled is in the storedposition and to be disposed at least partially outside the interior whenthe sled is in the access position. A refrigeration system is fluidlycoupled to the cooling conduit of each food receiver to supply thecooling conduit with the refrigerant. The refrigeration system includesa compressor mounted on the sled and movable with the sled between thestored position and the access position. The refrigeration systemincludes a condenser mounted on the sled and movable with the sledbetween the stored position and the access position. Plumbing fluidlyconnects the compressor, the condenser, and the cooling conduit. Theplumbing includes a first coiled flexible pipe fluidly coupled betweenthe compressor and the cooling conduit to permit flow of refrigerantthrough the first coiled flexible pipe from the cooling conduit to thecompressor. The plumbing includes a second coiled flexible pipe fluidlycoupled between the condenser and the cooling conduit to permit flow ofrefrigerant through the second coiled flexible pipe from the condenserto the cooling conduit. The first and second coiled flexible pipes areconfigured to expand as the sled is moved from the stored positiontoward the access position and configured to contract as the sled ismoved from the access position toward the stored position. A foodholding apparatus temperature control system includes at least onetangible storage medium, at least one user interface, and at least onetemperature sensor. The food holding apparatus temperature controlsystem is communicatively coupled to the refrigeration system and to theheating element of each food receiver. The food holding apparatustemperature control system is responsive to instructions stored in theat least one tangible storage medium to control a temperature of eachfood receiver. The food holding apparatus temperature control systembeing responsive to instructions stored in the at least one tangiblestorage medium and to user input from the at least one user interface tocontrol the refrigeration system and the heating elements to switch eachfood receiver between heating and cooling independently with respect toother food receivers of the at least three food receivers.

Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointedout hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective of a food holding apparatus according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure, with a support in the storedposition;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the food holding apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a cross section of the food holding apparatus taken throughline 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross section of the food holding apparatus taken throughline 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross section of the food holding apparatus taken throughline 5-5 of FIG. 3 with portions of insulation cut out to revealinterior details;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross section perspective of the foodholding apparatus showing interior details;

FIG. 7 is a perspective of the food holding apparatus with the supportin an access position;

FIG. 8 is a cross section of the food holding apparatus taken throughline 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross section perspective of the foodholding apparatus of FIG. 7 with portions of the food holding apparatushidden from view to show interior details;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged portion of FIG. 4;

FIG. 11 is a schematic of a refrigeration system of the food holdingapparatus;

FIG. 12 is a schematic of a drainage system of the food holdingapparatus;

FIG. 13 is a schematic of one embodiment of a control system for thefood holding apparatus according to the present disclosure; and

FIG. 14 is a schematic of another embodiment of a control system for thefood holding apparatus according to the present disclosure.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of foodholding apparatus according to the present disclosure, indicatedgenerally at reference numeral 10. The food holding apparatus 10 may beused to hold trays of prepared or ready to serve food at settemperatures. As will become apparent, the food holding apparatus canheat and/or cool multiple different trays of food at the same time.

Referring to FIGS. 1-5, the food holding apparatus 10 may include acabinet or food bar, generally indicated by reference numeral 12. Thefood holding apparatus 10 includes a housing or framework 14 with acounter or upper portion 16. The upper portion 16 is configured toreceive and hold one or more trays of food (not shown). The cabinet 12defines or includes a food serving countertop 18 from which food fromthe one or more trays may be served, with the upper portion 16 of thehousing 14 generally disposed at the countertop.

In one embodiment, the housing 14 (and associated components supportedthereby) may be a self-contained unit (e.g., “drop-in”) that is droppedinto the cabinet 12 and supported by the cabinet. The upper portion 16of the housing 14 may include one or more bendable wings that areconfigured to be bent upward after the housing 14 is dropped into thecabinet 12 to underlie the countertop 18. The bendable wings may includefastener openings through which fasteners are inserted through and intothe underside of the countertop 18 to secure the housing 14 to thecabinet 12. The one or more bendable wings may extend generally alongthe perimeter of the upper portion 16.

The upper portion 16 includes one or more receivers 20 (broadly, “foodreceiver”) configured to receive the trays of food. In the illustratedembodiment, the food holding apparatus 10 includes four food receivers20, however more or fewer receivers are within the scope of the presentdisclosure. For example, the food holding apparatus 10 can include one,two, three, four, five or more food receivers 20. Each receiver 20defines a cavity 22 with an open top 24. The open top 24 is adjacent toor at (e.g., generally co-planar with) the food serving countertop 18.Each cavity 22 is sized and shaped to receive and hold one or more traysof food. Each tray of food is inserted into the cavity 22 from the opentop 24.

Each tray receiver 20 is able to cool the tray of food and/or keep thetray of food at a cool temperature (e.g., a temperature below roomtemperature). Each tray receiver 20 includes a cooling element forcooling the receiver. In the illustrated embodiment, the cooling elementcomprises a cooling coil 26 (e.g., cooling conduit such as a coppertube) configured to receive refrigerant to cool the tray of food whenthe tray of food is disposed in the cavity 22. The cooling coil 26 wrapsaround the cavity 22 (e.g., three or more times around the cavity 22).In the illustrated embodiment, each receiver 20 is doubled walled, withinsulation 28 disposed between the walls.

The receiver 20 includes a pan 30 (e.g., a lower or bottom wall, firstand second side walls, and first and second end walls) and an outerhousing 32 (e.g., including a lower or bottom wall, an upper wall, firstand second side walls, and first and second end walls). The pan 30defines the cavity 22. The insulation 28 is disposed between the pan 30and outer housing 32. The insulation 28 is disposed along the sides,ends and bottom of the pan 30. The lower wall of the pan 30 defines thebottom of the cavity 22, the side walls define the sides of the cavityand the end walls define the ends of the cavity.

Each cooling coil 26 is disposed between the inner walls and outerwalls. Desirably, each cooling coil 26 is surrounded or engulfed in athermal mastic to enhance the thermal conductivity between the coolingcoil and the cavity 22. By engulfing the cooling coil 26 in a thermalmastic, the total surface area of the cooling coil in thermal contactwith the pan 30 is increased over conventional arrangements, whichgenerally rely on one point of contact (tangent contact) between acircular pipe and the planar surface the circular pipe extends along.The insulation 28 surrounds the cooling coil 26 and thermal mastic.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 12, the food holding apparatus 10 may alsoinclude a drainage system 36 to drain fluid from each receiver 20. Eachreceiver 20 is fluidly connected to the drainage system 36 to drainfluid, such as water, from the cavity 22 of each receiver. For example,the food holding apparatus 10 may be used to provide “wet heat” in whichthe cavity 22 holds a water bath that is heated (as described below) andthe water bath in turn heats a food tray disposed in the cavity. Inother embodiments, the food holding apparatus 10 may be used to provide“dry heat” in which the cavity 22 does not hold any water. The drainagesystem 36 includes plumbing (e.g., pipes, fittings, etc.) connected to adrain of each receiver 20.

In the illustrated embodiment, the drainage system 36 includes anindividual drain valve 37 for each receiver 20 and a master drain valve39 for all the receivers. The individual drain valves 37 are fluidlydisposed between the master drain valve 39 and their associated receiver20. The master drain valve 39 allows all the receivers 20 (e.g.,cavities 22 thereof), or a sub-set of the receivers, to be drained atthe same time. The master drain valve 39 makes it easier and faster todrain the receivers over conventional systems which typically requireeach individual valve for each receiver to be opened to drain eachreceiver. For example, in use, each individual drain valve 37 can beopened and the master drain valve 39 can be closed to hold water in eachreceiver 20. When it is time to drain the water, only the master drainvalve 39 needs to be opened to drain the receivers 20. In addition, themaster drain valve 39 allows all the receivers 20, or a sub-set of thereceivers, to be filled from a single receiver. For example, when themaster drain valve 39 is closed and the individual drain valves 37 areopen, a user can install water into one of the receivers 20. The waterinstalled into the one receiver 20 will flow through that receiver'sassociated individual drain valve 37, will be blocked by the closedmaster drain valve 39, and will flow up into the other receivers havingopen individual drain valves, thereby filling the other receivers withwater. This makes it easier to fill each receiver 20 with water. Thisprocess can be modified if the user does not want to fill all thereceivers 20 with water by selectively closing the individual drainvalves 37 of the receivers 20 the user does not want filled with water.In this case, the water poured into one receiver 20 will flow throughthat receiver's individual drain valve 37, will be blocked by the closedmaster drain valve 39 and the other receiver's closed individual drainvalves, and will flow up into the other receivers with the openindividual drain valves, thereby filling the desired number of receiverswith water. Conventional food holding apparatus generally require a userto pour water into each individual receiver.

Referring to FIG. 5, each receiver 20 also includes a heating mechanism33 (broadly, a heater or food environment control device) configured toheat the tray of food when the tray of food is disposed in the cavity22. Each heating mechanism 33 is disposed between the pan 30 and housing32 and is generally adjacent the lower end of the cavity 22 (e.g., lowerwall of the pan). The heating mechanisms 33 are generally identical. Inthe illustrated embodiment, each heating mechanism includes a rigid,heat distribution plate 35 and a heating element 34 thermally connectedto the rigid heat distribution plate. The heat distribution plate isdisposed between the element 34 and the bottom wall of the pan 30 totransfer and spread the heat from the heating element 34. The rigid heatdistribution plate 35 may be made of any suitable material such as metal(e.g., steel, aluminum). The rigid heat distribution plate 35 is mountedto the underside of and is in direct conductive heat transfer contactwith the bottom wall of the pan 30. The heating element 34 is mounted toand engages a lower surface of the heat distribution plate 35. Theillustrated heating element 34 is an electrical resistance heater orheating element and, more specifically, is an electric bar heater havinga serpentine shape (i.e., a serpentine bat heater). Other types ofheating elements are within the scope of the present disclosure. One ormore thermally conductive straps or brackets are used to secure theheating element 34 to the heat distribution plate 35. The insulation 28underlies the heating mechanism 33.

The bottom wall of the housing 32 may include a removable access panelto allow a service person or technician to access the heating mechanism.For example, the service person can remove the access panel to replacethe heating element 34 if the heating element fails.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper portion 16 of the housing 14 issupported by the cabinet 12 at the upper end thereof. The cabinet 12includes a lower wall 40, opposite first and second end walls 42, 44extending upward from respective opposite end edge margins of the lowerwall, a rear wall 46 extending upward from the rear edge margin of thelower wall and between the first and second end walls, and a front wall48 extending between the first and second end walls. In the illustratedembodiment, casters 54 are provided on the bottom of the lower wall 40and allow the food holding apparatus 10 to be rolled over a floor orsupport surface. It will be understood that the food holding apparatus10 may also be supported on the floor in other ways (e.g., bynon-rolling feet, etc.). The cabinet 12 defines a cabinet interior inwhich the housing 14 is disposed. The housing 14 defines an interior 50(e.g., a housing interior) and an opening 52 in communication with thehousing interior and the cabinet interior. The front edge margin of thelower wall 40, the front edge margins of the first and second end walls42, 44 and lower edge margin of the front wall 48 define a cabinetopening that permits access to the housing 14 and the housing interior50. As is apparent, the interior 50 of the housing 14 houses variouscomponents of the food holding apparatus 10, with the opening 52providing access to said components in the interior. In one embodiment,the food holding apparatus 10 may include one or more doors (not shown),such as solid doors and/or vented (e.g., louvered) doors, to close thecabinet interior.

The housing 14 includes a base 51. The base 51 is disposed below theupper portion 16 of the housing 14. In the illustrated embodiment, thehousing 14 is suspended from the cabinet 12 such that the base 51 isspaced apart from the lower wall 40 of the cabinet. This makes it easierto install the housing 14 in different size cabinets by not having tomatch the height of the housing 14 to the size of the cabinet into whichthe housing is being installed. In other embodiments, the base 51 mayrest on and be supported by the lower wall of the cabinet.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, 6 and 11, the food holding apparatus 10 includesa refrigeration system 60 (broadly, a food environment control device)to cool the trays of food disposed in the receivers 20. Therefrigeration system 60 is generally supported by the cabinet 12 and,more particularly, the housing 14. The refrigeration system 60 isfluidly coupled to each cooling coil 26 of the one or more receivers 20to supply the one or more cooling coils 26 with the refrigerant to coolthe tray of food held in the receiver. Accordingly, each tray of foodreceived in the one or more receivers 20 can be held in refrigerated orfreezing conditions. The refrigeration system 60 may include acompressor 62, a condenser 64, a refrigerant receiver 66, a refrigerantholding and metering valve 68 (which, broadly, acts as an expansionvalve), and plumbing, generally indicated at 70. Broadly, the compressor62, the condenser 64, and the refrigerant receiver 66 are part of acondensing unit 61 of the refrigeration system 60. The plumbing 70fluidly connects the various components of the refrigeration system 60and the one or more cooling coils 26 (which, broadly, act as anevaporator) together in a loop. For example, the plumbing 70 fluidlyconnects the compressor 62, the condenser 64, and the one or morecooling coils 26 together. Broadly, the cooling coils 26 may beconsidered part of the refrigeration system 60. Persons having ordinaryskill in the art will understand that the surrounding environment (e.g.,cavity 22 and tray of food) will be cooled by the cooling coil 26 as therefrigerant flows through the coil. The plumbing 70 includes pipes,fittings, valves (e.g., ball valves, solenoid valves), manifolds, etc.to fluidly connect the components of the refrigeration system 60together.

An example refrigeration system 60 is shown schematically in FIG. 11.This schematic diagram corresponds to the food holding apparatus 10having only one receiver 20 (e.g., one cooling coil 26). If the foodholding apparatus 10 includes multiple receivers 20, such as theembodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-10, each receiver (e.g., cooling coil26) will have a corresponding refrigerant holding and metering valve 68and the plumbing 70 will include a first manifold between therefrigerant receiver 66 and the metering valves to distribute therefrigerant to each metering valve and a second manifold between thereceivers and the compressor to collect the refrigerant from eachreceiver. Each refrigerant holding and metering valve 68 includes areservoir configured to hold an amount or supply of refrigerant and avalve (e.g., an expansion valve). The refrigeration system 60 alsoincludes a valve (e.g., a solenoid valve) that can be actuated toselectively release the refrigerant held in the refrigerant receiver 66,through the refrigerant holding and metering valve 68 and to thecorresponding cooling coil 26. If the food holding apparatus 10 includesmultiple receivers 20, each receiver (e.g., cooling coil 26) will have acorresponding valve 69 between the refrigerant receiver 66 and therefrigerant holding and metering valve 68 to distribute the refrigerantto each metering valve. As understood by persons having ordinary skillin the art, the amount of refrigerant released by the valve 69corresponds to the amount of cooling provided by the correspondingcooling coil 26. For example, the more refrigerant released by the valve69 and flowing through the corresponding cooling coil 26, the morecooling provided by the cooing coil (e.g., a lower temperature can bereached).

Refrigeration systems having other configurations are within the scopeof the present disclosure. For example, refrigeration systems other thanvapor-compression refrigeration systems may be used. For example, therefrigeration system may include a heat pump, Peltier device, solidstate refrigerator, or thermoelectric cooler.

Referring back to FIGS. 1-4 and 6-10, the housing 14 of the food holdingapparatus 10 includes a support or sled 72 movable relative to thehousing. The support 72 is moveably connected to (e.g., slideablymounted on) the base 51 of the housing 14. The support 72 is movablebetween a stored or stowed position (FIGS. 1-4, 6 and 10) and an accessposition (FIGS. 7-9). Generally, the support 72 supports at least aportion of (e.g., one or more components of) the refrigeration system60, thereby moving said portion of the refrigeration system 60 betweenthe stored and access positions, as explained in more detail below. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the support 72 includes a generally planarplatform, although other configurations are within the scope of thepresent disclosure. The housing 14 includes a track 75 mounted to thebase 51 and along which the support 72 moves (e.g., slides).Specifically, the track 75 movably connects the support 72 to the base51. The track 75 includes a pair of rails 74 (broadly, one or morerails) upon which the support 72 moves. The support 72 is longitudinallyslideable along the rails 74 between the stored and access positions.

In the stored position, the support 72 is disposed (e.g., entirelydisposed) in the interior 50 of the housing 14. In the access position,the support 72 is at least partially disposed outside of the interior50. In the illustrated embodiment, a portion of the support 72 remainsdisposed in the interior 50 when the support is in the access position.In other embodiments, the support 72 may be disposed entirely outsidethe interior 50 when in the access position. As shown in FIGS. 6-8, thesupport 72 moves through the opening 52 (and the cabinet opening) whenthe support is moved toward the stored and access positions. In otherwords, the support 72 moves into and out of the housing 14 through theopening 52 and in and out of the cabinet 12 through the cabinet opening.

As mentioned above, the support 72 supports one or more components ofthe refrigeration system 60 (e.g., the one or more components aremounted on the support). This allows the supported refrigerationcomponents to be moved between the stored and access positions.Specifically, this allows the supported refrigeration components to bemoved out of the interior 50 and/or closer to the opening 52 in thehousing 14. By moving these supported refrigeration components to theaccess position, via the support 72, it is easier for a technician toaccess (e.g., reach) these components to perform maintenance and/orreplace these components when they fail. Otherwise, a technician wouldneed to remove components of the food holding apparatus 10, such as thecondenser 64, the rear wall 46, the upper portion 16, etc., to access atleast some of the other components (e.g., the compressor 62) of therefrigeration system 60. It is understood that other components of thefood holding apparatus 10, besides components of the refrigerationsystem 60, may be supported by the support 72 to be movable between thestored and access positions.

In one embodiment, at least one of the compressor 62 and condenser 64 issupported by the support 72 and is movable with the support between thestored and access positions. In the illustrated embodiment, both thecompressor 62 and condenser 64 (as is the refrigerant receiver 66) aresupported by the support 72 and are movable with the support between thestored and access positions. Other components of the refrigerationsystem 60 may be supported by the support 72 and, thereby, also movablebetween the stored and access positions. When the support 72 is in thestored position, all of the components (e.g., compressor 62, condenser64, etc.) of the refrigeration system 60 are disposed in the interior50. When the support 72 is in the access position, preferably, at leastone of the components (e.g., compressor 62, condenser 64, etc.) of therefrigeration system is disposed outside the interior 50. This provideseasier access to these components for the technician. For example, inone embodiment, the condenser 64 and/or compressor 62 may be disposedoutside the interior 50 when the support 72 is in the access position.In the illustrated embodiment, the refrigerant receiver 66 (generally)and the condenser 64 are disposed outside of the interior 50 when thesupport 72 is in the access position (FIG. 8). It is understood that thesupport 72 does not have to position the components of the refrigerationsystem 60 outside of the interior 50 when the support is moved to theaccess position to provide a technician with easier access to saidcomponents. Instead, simply moving (via the support 72) the component(s)closer (e.g., toward) the opening 52, while still being disposed in theinterior 50, can be sufficient to provide the technician with thenecessary access to said component(s). For example, in the illustratedembodiment, the compressor 62 is spaced apart from the opening 52 in thestored position (FIG. 4) and adjacent the opening 52 in the accessposition (FIG. 8). In other words, the compressor 62 is farther from therear wall 46 when the support 72 is in the access position than when thesupport is in the stored position. This provides the technician withsufficient access to the compressor 62 to perform any maintenance orreplacement.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 6, 8, and 10, the plumbing 70 includes at leastone connector, generally indicated at 78, configured to permit the atleast one refrigeration component (e.g., the compressor 62 and/or thecondenser 64, etc.) of the refrigeration system 60 supported by thesupport 72 to move between the stored and access positions whileremaining attached to the plumbing. The connector 78 allows thetechnician to move the support 72 and refrigeration components thereonbetween the stored and access positions without having to disconnect theone or more of the components from the plumbing 70. The connector 78 maycomprise a flexible or pliable pipe (e.g., a length of flexible orpliable pipe). In the illustrated embodiment, the connector 78 comprisesa coiled flexible pipe (e.g., a flexible pipe that is coiled). Thecoiled flexible pipe 78 is arranged to expand as the support 72 is movedfrom the stored position toward the access position and to contract asthe support is moved from the access position to the stored position.This allows the support 72 and components of the refrigeration system 60supported thereby to be moved between the stored and access positions.The coiled flexible pipe 78 is coiled such that it forms a plurality ofhoops. The hoops are closer together relative to one another (e.g., notlongitudinally stretched) when the support 72 is in the stored positionthan when the support is in the access position. When the support 72 ismoved toward the access position, the hoops of the coiled flexible pipe78 are spread apart (e.g., are longitudinally stretched extending in thefront-to-back dimension of the helical shape of the coiled pipe) topermit the movement of the support and refrigeration components thereon.In the illustrated embodiment, the coiled flexible pipe 78 includesthree hoops, although more or fewer hoops are within the scope of thepresent disclosure. A retainer 79, connected to the base 51, is providedto hold and retain the rear hoop of the coiled flexible pipe 78 inposition as the support 72 is moved forward. This causes the coiledflexible pipe to extend like a coil spring as the coiled pipe is pulledforward with the support 72. The retainer 79 includes an upstandingfirst portion and a second portion extending rearward to capture therear hoop of the coil 78 thereunder. In the illustrated embodiment, thecoiled flexible pipe 78 comprises a copper tube, such as a 3/8 inchdiameter copper tube. The copper tube is flexible or pliable becausewhen the copper tube is coiled, the coil of the coiled copper tubeexpands and contracts as the support 72 is moved (e.g., manually moved)between the stored and access positions. It is understood the coiledflexible pipe may be made of other suitable materials, such as rubber.Other types of connectors are also within the scope of the presentdisclosure. For example, the connector can comprise a longitudinallyextendable (e.g., telescoping) pipe or a longitudinally expandable pipe.

In the illustrated embodiment, the at least one connector 78 of theplumbing 70 includes a first connector 78A and a second connector 78B.The refrigeration system 60 is a closed loop refrigeration system. Thereis one pipe or conduit carrying refrigerant flowing toward therefrigeration components on the support 72 and there is another pipe orconduit carrying refrigerant flowing away from the refrigerationcomponents on the support. In the illustrated embodiment, both the firstand second connectors 78A, 78B are coiled flexible pipes. The firstconnector 78A is disposed (e.g., fluidly disposed or coupled) betweenthe compressor 62 and the one or more cooling coils 26. The refrigerantflows through the first connector 78A as the refrigerant flows from theone or more cooling coils 26 to the compressor 62. A schematicrepresentation of where the first connector 78A is located within therefrigeration system 60 is shown in FIG. 11. The second connector 78B isdisposed (e.g., fluidly disposed or coupled) between the condenser 64(more specifically, the refrigerant receiver 66) and the one or morecooling coils 26. The refrigerant flows through the second connector 78Bas the refrigerant flows from the condenser 64 to the one or morecooling coils 26. A schematic representation of the where the secondconnector 78B is located within the refrigeration system 60 is shown inFIG. 11. As mentioned above, the first and second connectors 78A, 78Ballow the compressor 62 and condenser 64 (and refrigerant receiver 66)to move between the stored and access positions while remaining attachedto the plumbing 70. Desirably, the hoops of the first and secondconnectors 78A, 78B are connected together. This way, the hoops of thefirst and second connectors 78A, 78B move with each other when thesupport 72 is moved between the stored and access positions. One or morebands 77 (e.g., zip ties) may be used to secure the hoops of the firstand second connectors 78A, 78B together.

Referring to FIGS. 6, 9, and 10, the food holding apparatus 10 includesat least one stop or holder 80 that positions the support 72 in thestored position when the support is moved from the access positon towardthe stored position. Specifically, the at least one stop 80 engages thesupport 72 to position the support in the stored position. In addition,each stop 80 may also hold the support 72 in the stored position. In theillustrated embodiment, the food holding apparatus 10 includes two stops80, the stops being mirror images of one another. In this embodiment,each stop 80 engages a corner of the support 72. As shown in FIG. 9,each stop is fixed to the base 51. In the illustrated embodiment, eachstop 80 includes an upper wall 82, a side wall 84 and a rear wall 86.The upper, side, and rear walls 82, 84, 86 cooperate to define areceiving space 88 sized and shaped to receive the support 72 (e.g., acorner thereof). Each stop 80 may also include a guide tab 90 (broadly,“ramp” or “guide”) extending at a forward and outward angle (relative tothe longitudinal movement of the support 72) from the side wall 84 toguide the support into the receiving space 88 when the support is movedtoward the stored position.

Desirably, each stop 80 includes at least one ramped or tapered surface82A (FIG. 10) configured to engage the support 72 when the support ismoved toward the stored position to position the support in the storedposition. In the illustrated embodiment, the tapered surface 82A is thelower surface of the upper wall, but other configurations are within thescope of the present disclosure. For example, instead of or in additionto the tapered surface 82A on the upper wall 82, the interior surface(i.e., the surface defining the receiving space 88) of the side wall 84may be tapered. For the purposes of the illustrated stop 80, a taperedsurface 82A is a surface that extends towards (from a front edge to arear edge) the space occupied by the support 72 when the support is inthe stored position. When the support 72 is moved toward the storedposition, the support (in this case the leading or rear edge marginthereof) contacts the tapered surface 82A of the stop 80, generatingfriction force therebetween. As the support 72 continues to move (e.g.,continues to move in a rearward direction) toward the stored position,the friction force between the tapered surface 82A and the support 72increases until the friction force stops the movement of the support,thereby positioning the support in the stored position. Accordingly, thesupport 72 and the one or more components of the refrigeration system 60thereon are gradually stopped in the stored position by the stops 80,instead of being suddenly stopped. This prevents any componentssupported by the support 72 from becoming damaged or disconnected whenthe support is positioned in the stored position, as may occur with asudden stop. Moreover, the friction force between the stop 80 and thesupport 72 also holds the support in the stored position. This limitsrattling or other noise that may be caused by vibration or othermovement of the support 72 in the retracted position. To move thesupport 72 toward the access position, a technician applies a sufficientamount of force in the forward direction (e.g., pulls) to overcome thefriction force between the stop 80 and the support 72, thereby movingthe support toward the access position.

As shown schematically in FIG. 13, a control system 100 for the foodholding apparatus 10 includes a controller 102 (e.g., a temperaturecontroller) having a CPU or processor 104 and RAM or memory 106(broadly, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium). Thecontroller 102 provides the computing engine that drives the operationof the food holding apparatus 10. Broadly, the memory 106 includes(e.g., stores) processor-executable instructions for controlling theoperation of the processor 104. The instructions embody one or morefunctional aspects of the food holding apparatus 10, as describedherein, with the processor 104 executing the instructions to performsaid one or more functional aspects.

In particular, the controller 102 is configured to control thetemperature of each receiver 20, thereby keeping each tray of food at adesired temperature. The controller 102 is communicatively coupled toand responsive to a user interface 108 for controlling the temperatureof each receiver 20. The user interface 108 can receive instructions oruser input from a user, with the controller 102 carrying out theinstructions. For example, the instructions from the user can include adesired set point temperature for each receiver 20. The user interface108 may include a display to display information to the user, such asthe actual and/or set point temperature of the receiver 20. Any suitableuser interface, such as a touch screen, is within the scope of thepresent disclosure. For example, the user interface may includedifferent types of input devices such as keyboards, mice, buttons,switches, or even microphones for receiving information from the user.In the illustrated embodiment, the food holding apparatus 10 includesfour user interfaces 108A-D, each user interface corresponding to one ofthe receivers 20. Each user interface 108 is mounted on the cabinet 12.Desirably, each user interface 108 is arranged to be visually associatedwith one of the receivers 20. For example, as illustrated, each userinterface 108 is mounted on the cabinet 12 directly in front of one ofthe receivers 20, thereby associate each user interface with aparticular receiver. This allows the user to quickly and effortlesslycontrol the temperature of each receiver 20 by easily identifying andinteracting with the user interface 108 for a particular receiver.

The controller 102 can control the temperature of each receiver 20independently of the other receivers. For example, the temperature of onreceiver 20 can be cold while the temperature of another receiver ishot. Accordingly, the temperature of each receiver 20 is independentlycontrollable such that any combination of the receivers can be heatedand/or cooled. The controller 102 is also communicatively coupled to thecompressor 62 (broadly, the condensing unit 61), the solenoid valves69A-D (broadly, the refrigeration system 60) and the heating mechanism33A-D (e.g., heating elements 34A-D) of each receiver 20 to selectivelyactivate (e.g., operate) these components to cool or heat each receiver20 according to a set point temperature. Temperature sensors 110A-D ateach receiver 20 are communicatively coupled to the controller 102 torelay the current or actual temperature of each receiver to thecontroller. The controller 102 uses the information from eachtemperature sensor 110A-D to selectively activate (e.g., automaticallyactivate) the compressor 62, the solenoid valves 69A-D and/or theheating elements 34A-D as needed to individually cool and/or heat eachreceiver so that the actual temperature of each receiver 20 iscontrolled based on the desired set point temperature for that receiver.Accordingly, each receiver 20 can be heated or cooled independently,regardless of whether any other receivers are being heated or cooled.

For example, if the controller 102 receives information from atemperature sensor 110 indicating the temperature of one of thereceivers 20 is below the set point temperature (entered via the userinterface 108), the controller can activate or increase the intensity(e.g., heat output) of the corresponding heating element 34 to raise thetemperature of the receiver to the set point temperature. After thetemperature of the receiver 20 is raised to match the set pointtemperature, the controller 102 may deactivate or decrease the intensityof the corresponding heating element 34 to hold the temperature of thereceiver at the set point temperature according to a hysteresis.Similarly, if the controller 102 receives information from a temperaturesensor 110 indicating the temperature of one of the receivers 20 isabove the set point temperature, the controller can activate (e.g.,open) the corresponding solenoid valve 69 to start or increase the flowof the refrigerant through the corresponding cooling coil 26 to lowerthe temperature of the receiver to the set point temperature. After thetemperature of the receiver 20 is lowered to match the set pointtemperature, the controller 102 may close the corresponding solenoidvalve 69 to shut off or decrease the flow of refrigerant to thecorresponding cooling coil 26 to hold the temperature of the receiver atthe set point temperature according to a hysteresis. In addition, whencooling is required, the controller 102 can also activate the compressor62.

Referring to FIG. 14, another embodiment of a control system 200 for thefood holding apparatus 10 is shown. Except for the differences discussedbelow, the control system 200 of FIG. 14 is generally the same andoperates in generally the same way as the control system 100 of FIG. 13.In this embodiment, the control system 200 is a distributed controlsystem. The control system 200 includes a controller 202 (e.g., a foodreceiver controller) for each receiver 20. Each controller 202 includesa CPU or processor 204 and RAM or memory 206, as described above. Thecontrol system 200 includes a controller area network (“CAN”) bus 207.Each controller 202 and each user interface 108 is connected to the CANbus 207. The CAN bus 207 communicatively couples all the controllers 202and the user interfaces 108 together. Generally, each user interface 108will generally only interact with one of the controllers 202. However,in the event one user interface fails 108, the CAN bus 207 allowsanother user interface to interact with (e.g., receiver user input toset the set point temperature) the controller 202 associated with thefailed user interface in order to keep controlling the temperature ofthe receiver 20 associated with the failed user interface. This providesa level of redundancy that enables all the receivers 20 to continue tobe either heated or cooled, even though a user interface 108 may fail.Further details regarding CAN buses can be found in U.S. Pat. No.9,746,842, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

Each controller 202 is associated with one of the receivers 20. Eachcontroller 202 is configured to operate the heating mechanism 33 of thereceiver 20 the controller is associated with and the refrigerationsystem 60 to selectively cool or heat the receiver associated with thecontroller. In the illustrated embodiment, the control system 200includes a condensing unit relay 212 (e.g., a mechanical orelectro-mechanical relay). Each controller 202 is communicativelycoupled to the condensing unit relay 212 to selectively operate thecondensing unit relay to turn the condensing unit 61 (e.g., compressor62, condenser 64 (e.g., a fan motor thereof)) on and off. The controlsystem 200 also includes a heating mechanism relay 214 (e.g., a solidstate relay). Each heating mechanism relay 214 is connected to theheating element 34 of the receiver 20 that the heating mechanism relayis associated with. Each controller 202 selectively operates itscorresponding heating mechanism relay 214 to turn the correspondingheating element on or off. Providing the relays 212, 214 permits thecontroller 202 (e.g., circuit board(s)) to be isolated from the largeelectrical loads to the condensing unit 61 and heating elements 34. Thisreduces the likelihood of the controllers 202 failing. This also makesit easier to replace these relays 212, 214 over conventional foodholding apparatuses which have electrical relays integrated into circuitboards. Should a relay 212, 214 fail, a user simply needs to replace therelay instead of having to replace an entire circuit board. It is muchcheaper to replace a relay 212, 214 than an entire circuit board. Eachcontroller 202 is also communicatively connected to the temperaturesensor 110 of the receiver 20 each controller is associated with. Eachcontroller 202 is also communicatively connected to the solenoid valve69 of the receiver each controller is associated with. In theillustrated embodiment, each controller 202 is directly connected to thecondensing unit relay 212, its heating mechanism relay 214, itstemperature sensor 110, and its solenoid valve 69. In other embodiments,one or more (e.g., all) of these components may be communicativelyconnected to the CAN bus 207 such that the said one or more componentsare communicatively connected to the controller 202 via the CAN bus.Desirably, the controllers 202, the CAN bus 207, the condensing unitrelay 212, and the heating mechanism relay 214 are all mounted within achannel or chase extending along the front of the housing 14. This waythese components are easily accessible to a technician should any ofthem need to be serviced or replaced. Other configurations of thecontrol system are within the scope of the present disclosure.

As used herein and in the drawings, when a reference character includesa reference numeral not followed by a letter, such a reference characterrefers to all elements designated at least in part by the referencenumeral. Moreover, when a reference character includes the referencenumeral followed by a letter, such as “A,” such a reference characterrefers to a particular element from the group of elements. For example,as used herein and in the drawings, the reference character “108” refersto all the user interfaces (e.g., 108A-D) designated at least in partwith reference numeral “108” and the reference character “108A” refersto a specific one of the user interfaces such as the user interfaceassociated with a specific receiver 20A.

The Title, Field, and Background are provided to help the reader quicklyascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. They are submittedwith the understanding that they will not be used to interpret or limitthe scope or meaning of the claims. They are provided to introduce aselection of concepts in simplified form that are further described inthe Detailed Description. The Title, Field, and Background are notintended to identify key features or essential features of the claimedsubject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determiningthe claimed subject matter.

The programs and other executable program components, such as theoperating system, may be considered as discrete blocks. It isrecognized, however, that such programs and components reside at varioustimes in different storage components of a computing device, and areexecuted by a data processor(s) of the device.

Although described in connection with an exemplary computing systemenvironment, embodiments of the aspects of the disclosure areoperational with numerous other general purpose or special purposecomputing system environments or configurations. The computing systemenvironment is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope ofuse or functionality of any aspect of the disclosure. Moreover, thecomputing system environment should not be interpreted as having anydependency or requirement relating to any one or combination ofcomponents illustrated in the exemplary operating environment. Examplesof receiver-known computing systems, environments, and/or configurationsthat may be suitable for use with aspects of the disclosure include, butare not limited to, personal computers, server computers, hand-held orlaptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems,set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, mobile telephones,network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed computingenvironments that include any of the above systems or devices, and thelike.

Embodiments of the aspects of the disclosure may be described in thegeneral context of data and/or processor-executable instructions, suchas program modules, stored one or more tangible, non-transitory storagemedia and executed by one or more processors or other devices.Generally, program modules include, but are not limited to, routines,programs, objects, components, and data structures that performparticular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Aspects ofthe disclosure may also be practiced in distributed computingenvironments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices thatare linked through a communications network. In a distributed computingenvironment, program modules may be located in both local and remotestorage media including memory storage devices.

In operation, processors, computers and/or servers may execute theprocessor-executable instructions (e.g., software, firmware, and/orhardware) such as those illustrated herein to implement aspects of thedisclosure.

Embodiments of the aspects of the disclosure may be implemented withprocessor-executable instructions. The processor-executable instructionsmay be organized into one or more processor-executable components ormodules on a tangible processor readable storage medium. Aspects of thedisclosure may be implemented with any number and organization of suchcomponents or modules. For example, aspects of the disclosure are notlimited to the specific processor-executable instructions or thespecific components or modules illustrated in the figures and describedherein. Other embodiments of the aspects of the disclosure may includedifferent processor-executable instructions or components having more orless functionality than illustrated and described herein.

The order of execution or performance of the operations in embodimentsof the aspects of the disclosure illustrated and described herein is notessential, unless otherwise specified. That is, the operations may beperformed in any order, unless otherwise specified, and embodiments ofthe aspects of the disclosure may include additional or fewer operationsthan those disclosed herein. For example, it is contemplated thatexecuting or performing a particular operation before, contemporaneouslywith, or after another operation is within the scope of aspects of thedisclosure.

OTHER STATEMENTS OF THE DISCLOSURE

The following are statements of example embodiments described in thepresent disclosure. Although some of the following statements are notcurrently presented as claims, the statements are believed to bepatentable and may subsequently be presented as claims. Associatedmethods corresponding to the statements or apparatus or systems below,are also believed to be patentable and may subsequently be presented asclaims. It is understood that the following statements may refer to andbe supported by one, more than one or all of the embodiments describedabove.

A1. A food holding apparatus comprising: a housing including an upperportion having one or more food receivers, each food receiver defining acavity with an open top, the cavity being sized and shaped to receive atray of food when the tray of food is inserted into the cavity from theopen top, each food receiver having a cooling conduit configured toreceive refrigerant to cool the tray of food when the tray of food isdisposed in the cavity; a support movable relative to the housingbetween a stored position and an access position; and a refrigerationsystem fluidly coupled to the cooling conduit to supply the coolingconduit with the refrigerant, the refrigeration system including: acompressor; a condenser; and plumbing fluidly connecting the compressor,condenser and the cooling conduit; wherein at least one of thecompressor and condenser is supported by the support and is movable withthe support between the stored and access positions.

A2. The food holding apparatus of statement A1, wherein the housingdefines an interior, wherein the support is disposed in the interiorwhen support is in the stored position and wherein the support is atleast partially disposed outside of the interior when the support is inthe access position.

A3. The food holding apparatus of statement A2, wherein the housingdefines an opening in communication with the interior, wherein thesupport is configured to move in the opening when the support is movedtoward the stored and access positions.

A4. The food holding apparatus of statement A3, wherein the compressorand condenser are disposed in the interior when the support is in thestored position.

A5. The food holding apparatus of statement A4, wherein at least one ofthe condenser or the compressor is disposed outside of the interior whenthe support is in the access position.

A6. The food holding apparatus of statement A5, wherein the condenser isdisposed outside of the interior when the support is in the accessposition.

A7. The food holding apparatus of statement A4, wherein both thecompressor and condenser are supported by the support and are movablewith the support between the stored and access positions.

A8. The food holding apparatus of statement A7, wherein both thecompressor and condenser are disposed outside of the interior when thesupport is in the access position.

A9. The food holding apparatus of statement A4, wherein the compressoris closer to a rear wall of the housing when the support is in thestored position than when the support is in the access position.

A10. The food holding apparatus of statement A1, wherein the plumbingincludes at least one connector, the at least one connector configuredto permit the at least one of the condenser or compressor to movebetween the stored and access positions while remaining attached to theplumbing.

A11. The food holding apparatus of statement A10, wherein the connectorcomprises a flexible pipe.

A12. The food holding apparatus of statement A11, wherein the connectorcomprises a coiled flexible pipe.

A13. The food holding apparatus of statement A12, wherein the coiledflexible pipe forms a plurality of hoops, wherein the hoops are closertogether relative to one another when the support is in the storedposition than when the support is in the access position.

A14. The food holding apparatus of statement A10, wherein both thecompressor and condenser are supported by the support and are movablewith the support between the stored and access positions, wherein the atleast one connector includes a first connector disposed between thecompressor and the cooling conduit and a second connector disposedbetween the condenser and the cooling conduit to permit both thecondenser and compressor to move between the stored and access positionswhile remaining attached to the plumbing.

A15. The food holding apparatus of statement A1, further comprising atleast one holder configured to hold the support in the stored positionwhen the support is moved from the access position toward the storedposition.

A16. The food holding apparatus of statement A15, wherein the at leastone holder includes a tapered surface configured to engage the supportwhen the support is moved toward the stored position to position thesupport in the stored position.

A17. The food holding apparatus of statement A15, wherein the at leastone holder includes a first holder and a second holder.

A18. The food holding apparatus of statement A1, further comprising oneor more rails defining a track along which the support is movablebetween the stored and access positions.

A19. The food holding apparatus of statement A1, wherein each foodreceiver includes a heater configured to heat the tray of food when thetray of food is disposed in the cavity.

A20. The food holding apparatus of statement A19, further comprising atemperature controller configured to operate the refrigeration systemand each heater of the one or more food receivers to selectively cool orheat each food receiver.

A21. The food holding apparatus of statement A20, wherein the one ormore food receivers comprises a plurality of food receivers.

When introducing elements of aspects of the disclosure or theembodiments thereof, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” areintended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms“comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive andmean that there may be additional elements other than the listedelements.

In view of the above, it will be seen that several advantages of theaspects of the disclosure are achieved and other advantageous resultsattained.

Not all of the depicted components illustrated or described may berequired. In addition, some implementations and embodiments may includeadditional components. Variations in the arrangement and type of thecomponents may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of theclaims as set forth herein. Additional, different or fewer componentsmay be provided and components may be combined. Alternatively or inaddition, a component may be implemented by several components.

The above description illustrates the aspects of the disclosure by wayof example and not by way of limitation. This description enables oneskilled in the art to make and use the aspects of the disclosure, anddescribes several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives anduses of the aspects of the disclosure, including what is presentlybelieved to be the best mode of carrying out the aspects of thedisclosure. Additionally, it is to be understood that the aspects of thedisclosure is not limited in its application to the details ofconstruction and the arrangement of components set forth in thedescription or illustrated in the drawings. The aspects of thedisclosure are capable of other embodiments and of being practiced orcarried out in various ways. Also, it will be understood that thephraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting.

Having described aspects of the disclosure in detail, it will beapparent that modifications and variations are possible withoutdeparting from the scope of aspects of the disclosure as defined in theappended claims. It is contemplated that various changes could be madein the above constructions, products, and methods without departing fromthe scope of aspects of the disclosure. In the preceding specification,various embodiments have been described with reference to theaccompanying drawings. It will, however, be evident that variousmodifications and changes may be made thereto, and additionalembodiments may be implemented, without departing from the broader scopeof the aspects of the disclosure as set forth in the claims that follow.The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded in anillustrative rather than restrictive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A food holding apparatus comprising: a housingincluding an upper portion having at least three food receivers arrangedin a row, each food receiver defining a cavity with an open top, thecavity being sized and shaped to receive a tray of food when the tray offood is inserted into the cavity from the open top, each food receiverhaving a cooling conduit configured to receive refrigerant toselectively cool the tray of food when the tray of food is disposed inthe cavity, and each food receiver having a heating element configuredto selectively heat the tray of food when the tray of food is disposedin the cavity, the housing defining an interior; a sled supported by thehousing, the sled being slideable relative to the housing between astored position and an access position, the sled being configured to bedisposed in the interior when the sled is in the stored position and tobe disposed at least partially outside the interior when the sled is inthe access position; and a refrigeration system fluidly coupled to thecooling conduit of each food receiver to supply the cooling conduit withthe refrigerant, the refrigeration system including: a compressormounted on the sled and movable with the sled between the storedposition and the access position; a condenser mounted on the sled andmovable with the sled between the stored position and the accessposition; plumbing fluidly connecting the compressor, the condenser, andthe cooling conduit, the plumbing including a first coiled flexible pipefluidly coupled between the compressor and the cooling conduit to permitflow of refrigerant through the first coiled flexible pipe from thecooling conduit to the compressor, and the plumbing including a secondcoiled flexible pipe fluidly coupled between the condenser and thecooling conduit to permit flow of refrigerant through the second coiledflexible pipe from the condenser to the cooling conduit, the first andsecond coiled flexible pipes being configured to expand as the sled ismoved from the stored position toward the access position and configuredto contract as the sled is moved from the access position toward thestored position; and a food holding apparatus temperature control systemincluding at least one tangible storage medium, at least one userinterface, and at least one temperature sensor, the food holdingapparatus temperature control system being communicatively coupled tothe refrigeration system and to the heating element of each foodreceiver, the food holding apparatus temperature control system beingresponsive to instructions stored in the at least one tangible storagemedium to control a temperature of each food receiver, and the foodholding apparatus temperature control system being responsive toinstructions stored in the at least one tangible storage medium and touser input from the at least one user interface to control therefrigeration system and the heating elements to switch each foodreceiver between heating and cooling independently with respect to otherfood receivers of the at least three food receivers.
 2. The food holdingapparatus of claim 1, wherein the first coiled flexible pipe comprises afirst plurality of hoops that are configured to be closer togetherrelative to one another when the sled is in the stored position thanwhen the sled is in the access position, and wherein the second coiledflexible pipe comprises a second plurality of hoops that are configuredto be closer together relative to one another when the sled is in thestored position than when the sled is in the access position.
 3. Thefood holding apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first plurality of hoopsand the second plurality of hoops are connected together such that thehoops of the first and second coiled flexible pipes are configured tomove with each other when the sled is moved between the stored andaccess positions.
 4. The food holding apparatus of claim 3, wherein thefirst plurality of hoops includes at least three hoops, and the secondplurality of hoops includes at least three hoops.
 5. The food holdingapparatus of claim 2, wherein the first plurality of hoops includes afirst rear hoop, and the second plurality of hoops includes a secondrear hoop, the housing including a retainer connected to the first andsecond rear hoops, the retainer configured to retain the first andsecond rear hoops in position as the sled is moved toward the accessposition.
 6. The food holding apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housingdefines an opening in communication with the interior, wherein the sledis configured to move in the opening when the sled is moved toward thestored and access positions.
 7. The food holding apparatus of claim 6,wherein the sled is configured such that the compressor and condenserare disposed in the interior when the sled is in the stored position. 8.The food holding apparatus of claim 7, wherein the sled is configuredsuch that at least one of the condenser or the compressor is disposedoutside of the interior when the sled is in the access position.
 9. Thefood holding apparatus of claim 8, wherein the sled is configured suchthat both the compressor and condenser are disposed outside of theinterior when the sled is in the access position.
 10. The food holdingapparatus of claim 1, wherein each food receiver includes a pan definingthe cavity of said respective food receiver, an outer housing spacedapart from the pan, and insulation disposed between the pan and outerhousing.
 11. The food holding apparatus of claim 1, further comprising aholder configured to hold the sled in the stored position.
 12. The foodholding apparatus of claim 11, wherein the holder includes a taperedsurface configured to engage the sled when the support is moved towardthe stored position to locate the sled in the stored position.
 13. Thefood holding apparatus of claim 12, wherein the holder defines areceiving space sized, shaped, and arranged to receive the sled as thesled is moved toward the stored position.
 14. The food holding apparatusof claim 13, wherein the holder includes a guide configured to guide thesled into the receiving space as the sled is moved toward the storedposition.
 15. The food holding apparatus of claim 14, wherein the holderis a first holder, the food holding apparatus further comprising asecond holder configured to hold the sled in the stored position. 16.The food holding apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a track alongwhich the sled is slideable between the stored and access positions. 17.The food holding apparatus of claim 1, wherein each food receiverincludes an aluminum heat distribution plate between the heating elementand the cavity of said food receiver.
 18. The food holding apparatus ofclaim 17, wherein each heating element comprises an electric bar heaterhaving a serpentine shape.
 19. The food holding apparatus of claim 1,wherein the at least three user interfaces comprises at least threetouch screens, each touch screen being associated with one of the atleast three food receivers.
 20. The food holding apparatus of claim 1,wherein the refrigeration system includes at least three valves, eachvalve being associated with a cooling conduit of a respective foodreceiver, the food holding apparatus temperature control system beingcommunicatively coupled to the at least three valves to controlrefrigeration of the food receivers.